Wednesday, February 16, 2011

clean day


{baileys by mail}

today with the help of this lady i cleaned most of my house. i left the windows open and scrubbed the floors. the entire house smelled like one big geranium. i even consolidated the box of padded mailers that has been sitting in a huge box next to my bathroom for months. woohoo! i have also committed to myself that i will break down the ironing board when i'm not using it. sticking to it.

so, i want to know your cleaning house tips. it is a huge pitfall of mine to feel overwhelmed by everything that needs to get done, so i just put it off. however, i LOVE the feeling of a clean house. i remember my grammy talking about plotters and flashers. i am a flasher. i get in cleaning "moods" and go crazy, but these moods are few and far between. i want to be a plotter, plotting away at my daily tasks.

also, what are your favorite products? thank you in advance for indulging this terrible house keeper.

14 comments:

Shaunna Faye said...

What goes geranium smell like?

Bridget said...

i most definitely am a flasher - it's a mood and if i don't take advantage of it then it's gone... just like that.

i LOOOOOVE mrs. meyers. i have all her lavender scented stuff.

wishful nals said...

i definitely get overwhelmed -- and don't have much good advice. i love a clean house, too. for the five minutes it stays that way is pure perfection. i love mrs. meyers stuff, too. makes the house smell amazing!

Unknown said...

I am SO with you on the ironing board. It need to go when not in use. I think I am more of a flasher... and I use Melaleuca cleaning products. I mean it is a multi-level marketing company, but I don't sell it and I LOVE their stuff. I have never used natural cleaning products that work so well.

BlueEyedYonder said...

Mrs. Meyers is my hero! I love the geranium scent, but the basil is to die for as well.

I am a Flasher with occasional sparks. When I clean, the hardest part is staying focused. I may be working in the kitchen and then take some dish towels to the laundry and get totally distracted by some other "mess". I've tried to start cleaning one room at the time. Get just one room totally and completely clean and then move on. That way you won't look around your house at the end of the day and wonder, "Umm, what did I get done?" It also helps me not get so overwhelmed.

Christy said...

I am with you! It is SO hard to stay on top of EVERYTHING. Sometimes I feel like I'm on a roll, keeping up with life, but inevitably something always falls by the wayside. Usually it's dusting and mopping.

Here's a tip:
My sister used to do this and I've also wanted to start- Take a file folder, make a chart, or as she did, a cute recipe box and write the days of the week on the tabs. Then break all of your chores down and file them on different days, ie.. Monday: floors, Tuesday: dusting, and so forth. She said it kept her from feeling overwhelmed and kept everything tip-top.

Robin Baron @ Simplifying Fabulous! said...

I really like the Green cleaning lines because they smell better, and don't give me a headache from all the toxic fumes. It just makes me feel like I'm treating my house better :)

I love how glamorous these photos make housework feel, its motivational!

Heather Stephens said...

I am a serial flasher, myself. I wish I could be more organized, but the truth is if you looked at my office or my closet, you would think I had been robbed given the amount of stuff scattered about! Perhaps we need a self help group?

Unknown said...

love your blog :)

O'Dell Family said...

I'm a flasher too. Have you heard of the fly lady? She is helpful is organizing your cleaning tasks, but following through with her advice is a different matter :)

www.flylady.net

Lori @ Lori May Interiors said...

I started using Method hardwood floor cleaner when my youngest was a baby. I love the almond smell! Also, you just can't beat anything from Mrs. Meyer's.

Your Southern Peach said...

My best advice is to get a good housekeeper :)

I set my kitchen timer for 10-15 minutes and challenge myself to see how much I can do in that short time. If I do this once or twice a day, it's pretty good. I also make myself pick up/put away ten things before I go to bed, walk out the door, etc....

Lindsay at EileenJosephine said...

I'm a plotter! (Although I haven't always been this way. It takes training.) I break up my cleaning by rooms and days. Here's how my week goes:

Mon - bathrooms
Tues - bedrooms
Wed - downstairs rooms
Thurs - kitchen
Fri - upstairs rooms
Sat - laundry
Sun - laundry

I keep the schedule on my iCal. It doesn't always go as planned, but at least I have a place to start up at if I get off track.

I have to vacuum almost every day, because my dog sheds so much. And I always start the dishwasher before bed and put the clean ones away when I wake up. I also tidy up all of Vada's toys every evening after she goes to bed, so we can have some real adult time.

If I made a little more money, I'd hire a housekeeper to come once a week to do all the floors and bathrooms and dusting... I don't care if I'm a WAHM haha :)

jdavissquared said...

I do a daily routine. {well, when I'm on task I do.}
Sort of like Lindsay, but I focus on a specific task instead of a room.
Mon-Straighten
Tues-Dust
Wed-Floors
Thursday-Straighten
Friday-Take the day off!
Sat/Sunday-Bathrooms and Laundry

The kitchen has to stay clean all the time, but this schedule helps me do a little every day so that the house is always pretty clean!